中國僧官之任始於後秦姚萇（384-393）時代，而僧官制度中的僧錄司 一職，歷經隋、唐，至兩宋時期正式確立，發展至明、清兩代而趨於完備。 西元17 世紀晚期，佛、道教及其他民間宗教信仰隨著鄭氏軍民入臺和 閩粵漢人的海外移民行動漸次傳入臺灣。根據《清律》在臺實施僧道官制度， 以有效管理僧道籍隸和活動，及於清代臺灣各地府縣治所在設置關帝廟、城 隍廟、媽祖廟、佛寺、厲壇、龍神廟等官方祀典廟宇，且由官方延請大陸閩、 粵、江、浙地區佛教禪宗的臨濟、曹洞或黃檗等宗派僧侶駐錫主持，因而促 進佛教和佛寺在臺的進一步傳播與興建，及於常民崇拜逐漸蔚為風氣後，對 於明清時期臺灣移墾社會秩序的安定和維持，產生一定程度的影響及貢獻。 清代關於僧道管理係延續明代制度，設置僧錄司、道錄司，地方則置府 僧綱司，州僧正司，縣僧會司，各一人。府道紀司，州道正司，縣道會司， 各一人。透過僧道官制度的實施，藉由新舊度牒的換發，以領有戒牒的方式 進行僧道之管理，尤其清代對於僧道和宗教祭祀的管理，均訂定有嚴格而詳 實的條文律令，且嚴加執行，以達到有效管理、防範反側的目的，並由官方 賦予僧人土地開發、經管的業主權，配合《聖諭》宣講政策，以維地方秩序 穩定及慈善照護事業之進行。 本文根據嘉義市城隍廟的清代碑碣和新出土的城隍廟擔任僧會司的住持 僧人招佃開墾土地契約文書，確信僧官制度在臺實施至清末。本文也首次由 清代迴避制度來探討在臺僧官的選任，由嘉義市城隍廟的清代碑碣證實僧會 司住持僧人確實由杭州來臺，符合避籍制度的規範。惟其所屬宗派法脈仍待 後續更多證據出土，以茲進一步考察。

Chinese monastics started to become officials during the Later Qin Dynasty （384-393）. The inception of the monitory administrators, Senglu si 僧錄司 was set up in the Sui Dynasty, established formally in the Song Dynasty, and well-established during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Buddhism, Taoism, and other folk religions were brought to Taiwan by the huge Chinese migration waves led by the Ming loyalist/ general Zheng 鄭 family, and migrants from Fujian and Guangdong Provinces in the late 17th Century. According to the Great Qing Legal Code, the Qing court set up religious officials in Taiwan to regulate monastic registration and religious activities. Other than the Citadel Temples, there are other official temples such as Emperor Guan Temples, Mazu Temples, Buddhist monasteries, Li Alter 厲壇, and Dragon God Temples that made official offerings in all major cities. In addition, the court appointed monastics from Linji and Caodong lineages from Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces to be the abbots in Taiwan to facilitate the construction and spreading of Chinese Buddhism in Taiwan. This contributed to the stabilization and maintenance of the new Taiwanese agricultural society with a high percentage of immigrants. The Qing court followed the Ming regulations in the religious official system in that there was one major Central Buddhist Official and one Central Taoist Official in the court and one Buddhist with one Taoist official in each county, province, and prefecture. This religious official system monitored the religious clergy by issuing religious licenses and requested all religious activities followed the detailed legal codes closely. Furthermore, Buddhist monks needed to broadcast the Emperors’ edicts and were allowed to develop and manage land for their charity and public health services. This paper focuses on two artifacts that strongly substantiate the Buddhist Official system in Taiwan: the stele carved in the Qing Dynasty for Chiayi Citadel Temple, and the newly unearthed sharecropping contracts signed by the monk of the said temple who served as the local Buddhist official. In addition, this paper discusses the logistics of the election of Buddhist officials from the perspective of the recusal system for the first time. The inscription on the stele states that the abbot of the Chiayi Citadel Temple was a monk from Hangzhou, China who fulfilled the household registration recusal regulation and also was appointed as the Buddhist Official of Chiayi. However, the abbot’s Buddhist lineage awaits further research.

臺灣；清代；嘉義；城隍廟；僧官制度

Taiwan；Qing Dynasty；Chiayi；Citadel Temple；Buddhist Official